Propulsion means



Oct. 23, 1934. w. R. MOBLEY PROPULSION MEANS Filed April 17. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

Oct. 23, 1934. w. R. MOBLEY PROPULSION MEANS Filed April 17. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROPULSION MEANS William R. Mobley, Miami, Fla.

Application April 17, 1931, Serial No. 530,988

20 Claims. (01. 170-156) My invention relates to propellers suitable for the propulsion of air, water and land vehicles and to a construction of the same in which a power shaft for rotating the propeller is provided with pockets or cup-like elements, some of which are constructed to engage and collect the air (or other fluid), and others of which are constructed to receive air, with a strong centrifugal action on air which is in the path of the latter pockets, both pockets or series of pockets discharging air rearwardlyl Saidpockets thus create a partial vacuum at the front of the propeller and atmospheric pressure at the rear, and the pockets are provided with, or are constructed so as to have, wings arranged transversely to said shaft which are exposed at their rear faces to said atmospheric pressure.

The pockets which collect the fluid may be described as concave at the outer side; and these pockets tend to fill themselves with air and those which move the air centrifugally are convex at the outer side and these pockets tend to empty themselves of air.

The two constructions of pockets are altermated with each other around the shaft so that the propeller as a whole is properly balanced.

The construction may comprise such number of pockets as will effect this result, and may be such that the structure of one pocket takes part in the formation of the other pocket.

In order to make the invention clearly understood I have illustrated it in the accompanying drawings, without limiting it to the constructions therein shown, as the latter may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

' In said drawings- Fig. 1 is a front view of the propeller.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. V

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the propeller.

Fig. 5 is a front view showing the pocket elements connected with the shaft by flexible arms. 1 Fig. dis a sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the connections with the shaft.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates thepower shaft having the elements forming thepockets cast therewith, or attached thereto in any suitable manner, and so as to balance the propeller. 2 and 3 are blades extending radially from the shaft and having surfaces which are shown as parallel with the axis of revolution, or may be inclined to said axis, the parallel arrangement being illustrated. Wings 4, 5, 6 and '7 are attached to the outer parts of the blades and extend crosswise of the shaft at a distance therefrom forming pockets therewith at 8, 9, 10, 11.

12, 13, 14, 15 are pressure-receiving sides of side walls arranged crosswise of the shaft and attached to the edges of the blades and to the edges of the wings 4, 5, 6, 7, and preferably arranged at about right angles to the latter and to the blades. The pockets are thus closed at the front and rear sides alternately, the concave pockets being closed at the front side and the convex pockets at the rear side.

When the propeller is rotated at high speed by means of the shaft 1, connected with a suitable motor, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the inner surfaces of the wings 5 '7 will strongly engage and cup the air by their extremities and have a centripetal effect on it to force it nearer to the axis and into the angles of the pockets 9, 11. The blades 2, 3 will have a centrifugal effect, forcing the air encountered by the blades also into said angles of the pockets, whence the air is discharged rearwardly from said pockets, and creating pressure on the rear sides of the contiguous wings 12, 14 of the convex pockets. Pressure is also caused on the rear surfaces of the sides 13, 15.

At the same time the outer surfaces of the wings 4, 6 will give strong centrifugal force and motion to the air which they encounter, forcing it radially from the propeller and forming a partial vacuum in advance of it. 'In the pockets 8, 10 partial vacuums always exist, which may be considered portions of the partial vacuum which is in advance of the propeller.

Considering the pressures effected, that on the front faces of the sides 12, 13, 14, 15 is negative and their rear faces are exposed to full atmospheric pressure and the shaft 1 and parts at tached thereto are propelled rapidly in the for ward direction. The general shape of the pockets 9, 11 is concave toward the air which is operated on, and the general shape of the pockets 8, 10 is convex. The blade 2 is common to the pockets 8, 9 and the blade 3 is common to the pockets 10, 11.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that I employ cups or pockets adapted to utilize cup action and centrifugal action to form high rear and low front pressure areas acting on the areas of both sides of the disk-like wing 'members to afford propulsion, in one direction, and I employ centrifugal force by means of fluid pockets adapted to work in conjunction with each other and cooperating to produce said propulsion.

Now referring particularly to Figs. '5 to 7, it 5 will be observed that the pockets shown are substantially the same, and operate substantially in the same manner as described in Fig. 1, however they are secured to pivoted connecting rods the inner ends of which are hinged to the propeller shaft in a manner that the pockets and the shaft may revolve with the shaft while at the same time the outer ends of the rods may be advanced by the action of the fluid on both sides of the pressure wings or disc-like members, causing the shaft to be pulled forward by the inner ends of the rods by means of centrifugal force serving to maintain the shafts at an angle to the axis.

While I have shown cups or pockets comprising substantially one fourth of a circle, I do not wish to be limited to this construction as any shape pockets or cups may be used where the forward cup tends to be filled and the rear cup tends to be emptied, working in conjunction with each other to create high and low pressure areas to accomplish propulsion in one direction by means of cup and centrifugal action.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a simplified form of the propeller in which the two pockets or cups are "1 concave.

30 Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show the application of the described pockets or cups to'the shaft by means of arms or rods 18 which are pivotally connected at 16 with a hub 17, the latter being fixed to the shaft, a bearing of the shaft being shown at 19.

Centrifugal force, when the propeller is in operation, will keep the arms extended as shown in Fig. 5 and the forward pull of the propeller is communicated to the shaft and vehicle parts carried thereby by means of the arms 18, pivot bolts 16 and hub 17. In Figs. 5 and '6 each arm 18 carries elements which would constitute the upper half of the propeller shown in Fig, 1.

When the propeller of Figs. 5 and 6 is not in operation the arms 18 may be kept from falling out of position by suitable stops (not shown) fixed on the hub 17. What I claim is:

1.. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, walls forming air-engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the same, one pocket being concave at its outer face and the next pocket being-convex at its outer face, the former acting mainly to collect air and the latter acting to discharge air rearwardiy, said pockets having wings transversely arranged, whereby said wings have partial'vacuums at their front faces and substantial atmospheric pressure at their rear faces. I i

2. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, walls forming air-engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the -same,; one pocket being concave at its outer face and the next pocket being convex at its-outer face, the former acting mainly to collect air and the latter acting to discharge -ai-r 'rearwardly, said pockets having wings transversely arranged, wherebyfsaid wi-n'gs have partial vacuums at their front "faces and substantial atmospheric pressure at their rear faces, saidwings being arranged azltemate'ly at the front and at theme! of the propeller.

3. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, walls forming air-engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the same, one pocket being concave at its outer face so as to cup the air and the next pocket being convex at its outer face to dispel the air, the former acting mainly to collect air and the latter acting to discharge air rearwardly.

4. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, walls forming air-engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the same, one pocket being concave at its outer face and the next pocket being convex at its outer face, the former acting mainly to collect air and the latter acting to discharge air rearwardly, said pockets being open alternately toward the rear and toward the front of the propeller.

5. In a propeller, in combination, a power shaft, radial blades thereon forming the inner walls of pockets to receive fluid, front and rear wings alternately arranged to form front and rear Walls of said pockets, and transversely arranged wings extending crosswise of said blades and along the said front and rearwings to form outer walls of said pockets;

6. In a propeller, in combination, a power shaft, radial blades thereon forming the inner walls of pockets to receive fluid, front and rear pressure wings alternately arranged to form front and rear walls of said pockets, and transversely arranged wings extending crosswise of said blades and along the said front and rear wings to form outer walls of said pockets, said blades being common to the pockets at each side thereof.

7. In a propeller a structure comprising walls forming cup-like air-engaging devices'mounte'rl around an axis of revolution, one half of said devices presenting their concave sides in the direc-.' tion of revolution to cup and collect the air and discharge the same rearwardly and the other half of said devices alternating with said first halfand presenting their convex sides in the said direction and adapted to contain-partial vacuums, and transverse wings which, by the revolution of said devices in the air, are exposed to partial vacuums on their front sides and relatively high pressure on their rear sides.

8. In a propeller a structure comprising walls forming cup-like air-engaging devices mounted around an axis of revolution .and arranged in pairs, one of each pair presenting its concave side in the direction of revolution to cup and collect the air and discharge the same rearwardly, and the other of each pair cooperating with the former and presenting its convex side in the 1 lution, one cup of each pair being adapted to cup I the air and one cup being adapted to exclude the air, the pair of cups cooperating adjacent each other to form high and low pressure areas respectively at the rear and front surfaces of the pressure receiving means.

10. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, air engaging devices having means to force the air centrifugally and rearwardly, and means whereby said devices are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said'shaft.

11. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, air-engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the same, one pocket being concave at its outer face and the next pocket being convex at its outer face, the former acting mainly to collect air and to discharge air rearwardly, said pockets having wings transversely arranged, whereby said. wings have partial vacuums at their front faces and substantial atmospheric pressure at their rear faces, and means whereby said pockets are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said shaft.

12. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, walls forming air-engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the same, one pocket being concave at its outer face and the next pocket being convex at its outer face, the former acting mainly to collect air and to discharge air rearwardly, said pockets having wings transversely arranged, whereby said wings have partial vacuums at their front faces and substantial atmospheric pressure at their rear faces, said wings being arranged alternately at the front and at the rear of the propeller, and means whereby said pockets are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said shaft.

13. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, walls forming air engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the same, one pocket being convex at its outer face and the next pocket being concave at its outer face the latter pocket acting mainly to collect air and to discharge air rearwardly, and means whereby said pockets are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said shaft.

14. In a propeller the combination of a power shaft, walls forming air-engaging and moving pockets carried by said shaft and in balanced and cooperative arrangement about the same, said pockets being open alternately toward the rear and toward the front of the propeller, and means whereby said pockets are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said shaft.

15. In a propeller, in combination, a power shaft, radial blades thereon forming the inner walls of pockets to receive fluid, front and rear wings alternately arranged to form front and rear walls of said pockets, and transversely arranged wings extending crosswise of said blades and along the said front and rear wings to form outer walls of said pockets, and means whereby said pockets are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said shaft.

16. In a propeller a structure comprising walls forming cup-like air-engaging devices mounted around an axis of revolution, one half of said devices presenting their concave sides in the direction of revolution to cup and collect the air and discharge the same rearwardly and the other half of said devices alternating with said first half and presenting their convex sides in the said direction and adapted to contain partial vacuums, and transverse wings which, by the revolution of said devices in the air, are exposed to partial vacuums on their front sides and relatively high pressure on their rear sides, and means whereby said devices are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said shaft.

17. In a propeller a structure comprising walls forming cup-like air-engaging devices mounted around an axis of revolution and arranged in pairs, one of each pair presenting its concave side in the direction of revolution to cup and collect the air and discharge the same rearwardly, and 100 the other of each pair cooperating with the former and presenting its convex side in the direction of revolution and adapted to have a partial vacuum formed therein, and pressure receiving means which, by the cooperation of said devices in their 105 revolution, is exposed to partial vacuum at its front and relatively high pressure at its rear, and means whereby said devices are hinged to said shaft on axes arranged crosswise to said shaft.

18. Ina propeller the combination of walls forming concave pockets and convex pockets arranged around the axis of revolution and alternating with each other.

19. In a propeller the combination of walls forming concave pockets and convex pockets arranged around the axis of revolution and alternating with each other, said pockets having wings extending cross-wise to said axis.

20. In a propeller the combination of walls forming concave pockets and convex pockets arranged around the axis of revolution and alternating with each other, said pockets having wings extending cross-wise to said axis, the said wings being arranged at the front of the concave pockets and at the rear of the convex pockets, respectively.

WILLIAM R. MOBLEY. 

